Preview - Stars at Force
Published on February 16, 2019 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Lincoln Stars News Release
SATURDAY, FEB. 16, 2019 | 7:05 P.M. CST | SCHEELS ARENA
RADIO: LINCOLN STARS RADIO | WATCH: HOCKEYTV
Tonight's Contest:
The Stars (10-28-3-2) will meet the defending Clark Cup champion Fargo Force (22-15-2-2) tonight for the first time in the 2018-19 season.
Last Game:
Lincoln and Sioux City met for the final time in the 2018-19 season on Thursday, as the Stars looked to even the series at two.The Musketeers got off to a fast start. A breakdown at center ice shortly after the opening face off allowed Ian Malcomson to walk in and score the game's first goal just 11 seconds into the contest. The Stars pushed back in the period, but were unable to generate a high number of high quality chances. Jake Sibell stopped all 11 shots he faced. at 14:38, Bobby Brink danced his way in off the half-wall to beat Samuel Hlavaj and the Stars defense for the 2-0 advantage. In the second, Brink continued the Musketeers trend of early scoring, pushing home another goal from the low slot after a great feed from Parker Ford from behind the net.The Stars would build momentum as the period progressed, but Sibell held firm as his teammates helped him turn back a late period push from Lincoln. The Stars answered with a much better start to the third. They were rewarded for strong push when Brock Bremer scored at 2:02 into the frame, with assists coming from Matthew Barbolini and Josh Lopina. The Lincoln push was sustained for much of the first half of the period, but Sibell limited further damage, including one sprawling save to deny Steven Agriogianis on a grade-A look. After weathering the storm, Sioux City answered back with heavy pressure through the second half of the period. A late penalty against the Stars actually slowed tempo as the short-benched Musketeers played conservatively to kill off time. After Tristan Ashbrook was narrowly denied a shorthanded chance, the Stars killed off the rest of their penalty. With the extra attacker on, Lincoln pressured but were unable to spark a comeback, falling 3-1 at the horn. Bobby Brink extended a point-streak to 15 games with his two goals in the win. Samuel Hlavaj made 40 saves in the tough-luck loss.
Fargo hosted the Madison Capitols last Saturday at Scheels Arena. A one-sided scoring affair saw the Force jump out to a 2-0 lead off early goals from Jeremy Davidson on the power play and Adam Gajarsky in the first 8:31 of play. Ben Meyers added a penalty shot in the second period to solidify a 3-0 Fargo advantage through 40 minutes of play. Josh Nodler tacked on his 15th tally of the season at 6:26 of the third to cap four-straight goals for the Force. Madison finally cracked the scoreboard on a power play strike from Dan Petrick at 9:02. With the net empty for Madison late, Fargo put home the game's finally score with Cedric Fiedler's empty-netter at 19:59. Key to Fargo's win was Ryan Bishcel, who stopped 39 of 40 in the victory. Madison out-shot the Force 35-16 in the final two periods of play, but Bischel, who became the Fargo's all-time leader in wins with the victory, was excellent, keeping any chance at a Madison comeback at bay. The veteran made 39 saves on 40 shots. The win was Fargo's third-straight, and extends their point streak to four games.
Head-to-Head:
Over their first three meetings of the 2017-18 season, the Stars dominated the eventual Clark Cup champs by an aggregate score of 14-4. Lincoln claimed victory in each of the first three contests, but the Force held firm in the final and most recent meeting between sides, taking a 3-2 victory on March 31st, at Scheels Arena.
Team Stats:
GF: FGO-3.10 (12th) to LIN-2.67 (15th)
GA: FGO-3.00 (t-6th) to LIN-3.86 (16th)
Shots For/G: LIN-28.12 (10th) to FGO-28.05 (12th)
Shots Against/G:
FGO-26.98 (3rd) to LIN-30.63 (13th)
PP: FGO-31/151, 20.5% (8th) to LIN-26/172, 15.1% (16th)
SHGA: FGO-5 (t-8th) to LIN-8 (16th)
PK: FGO-135/162, 83.3% (3rd) to LIN-136/164, 82.9% (4th)
SHGF: FGO-3 (t-10th) to LIN-2 (t-14th)
Leading Scorers:
G: FGO-Ben Meyers 26, LIN-Brock Bremer and Caleb Rule 12
A: FGO-Hank Crone-37 LIN-Brock Bremer and Jordan Power 14
TP: FGO-Ben Meyers-51, LIN-Brock Bremer 25
Goalies:
W: FGO-Ryan Bischel 19, LIN-Jacob Mucitelli 3
GAA: FGO-Ryan Bischel 2.70, LIN-Jacob Mucitelli 3.67
SV%: FGO-Ryan Bischel .899, LIN-Samuel Hlavaj .873
Shutouts: FGO-Ryan Bischel 2, LIN-Jacob Mucitelli 1
MIN: FGO-Ryan Bischel 2181, LIN-Jacob Mucitelli 719
What to Watch For:
More Reunions:
Two players on each bench will dress against their former teams for the first time tonight. For the Stars, it's forward Ross Mitton and defenseman Ryan Carmichael. For the Force it's defenseman Justin Lee and goalie Tyler Johnson. Mitton has become a fixture for the Stars since his acquisition, earning plenty of ice-time next to Tristan Ashbrook and Mike Colella. A member of Fargo's championship team last season, Mitton has two goals in six games since joining the Stars and has 6-4-10 in 40 games played this season. Carmichael has settled in nicely with Lincoln as well next to Jordan Power on the back end. The righty defender has a goal and two assists in six games with the Stars, and have four goals and 10 helpers on the year. Justin Lee played 37 games along Lincoln's blue line this year before his trade, scoring four goals and 19 points. He has yet to find the score sheet in four games since being traded to find Fargo. Tyler Johnson manned the crease for the Stars for 18 games, posting a 4-12-0-1 record with a 3.34 GAA and a .898 save percentage. He has yet to play for the Force.
Stretch of Top-Scoring Opponents Continues:
Against Youngstown it was Brett Murray, against Sioux City it was Bobby Brink, against Fargo? Pick your poison. The Force's leading scorer is Ben Meyers, who ranks second in the USHL in goals with 26, and fourth in points with 51. Hank Crone is second in the league with 37 assists, and is right behind Meyers with 49 points on the year. The Stars will need to fare better against Fargo's dynamic duo than their previous two opponents' top scoring threats. Brett Murray tallied two goals for Youngstown in each game against Lincoln last weekend, while Brink notched a pair for Sioux City, Thursday at the Ice Box.
Faster Starts Needed:
The Stars enter play on a five-game losing streak. Not coincidentally, the team has allowed the game's first goal in four of those five losses. They've been held scoreless through the first period in each of those four contests, and in two, they tallied their first goal in the third period. Fast starts matter in any hockey game, but eight of the Stars 10 wins this season have come when they score the game's first goal. Fargo enters play tied for fifth in the league with 41 first period goals and is 17-4-1-1 when they crack the scoreboard first. Conversely, the Force are 5-11-1-1 when scoring second.
United States Hockey League Stories from February 16, 2019
- Tri-City Defeats Central Illinois 3-1 - Tri-City Storm
- Comeback Falls Short, Phantoms Fall 4-3 - Youngstown Phantoms
- Hawks Downed 2-1 in CR - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Flying Aces Can't Weather Storm - Central Illinois Flying Aces
- Muskegon Cruises Past Sioux Falls 5-3 in Return Home - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Stampede Can't Hold off Lumberjacks in Muskegon - Sioux Falls Stampede
- Gameday Preview: Storm Seek Back to Back Wins against Flying Aces - Tri-City Storm
- Preview - Stars at Force - Lincoln Stars
- Storm Down Flying Aces 5-2 - Tri-City Storm
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